Fiji’s political instability cannot simply be blamed on the country’s Constitution, Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu told Parliament, urging leaders to look deeper at the root causes of past crises.
Speaking in Parliament during his response to the President’s address, Mr Seruiratu said Fiji’s history showed that constitutional documents alone could not prevent instability.
“It is rather ironical that when things are not going right with governments, there is a tendency to lay the blame on the Constitution,” he said.
He cited key moments in Fiji’s political history, noting that political crises had occurred under different constitutional frameworks.
“We had the 1970 Constitution, yet with the 1987 debacle. The 1997 Constitution ticked all the boxes, still we had the events of 2000 and 2006.”
Mr Seruiratu added that even the current Constitution had not been spared criticism.
“The 2013 Constitution was engineered to end the coup culture in Fiji, but there are now issues emerging against it.”
He said the real issue may lie beyond the legal document itself.
“So where is the problem, is it the substance of the constitution, is it the people, is it politics, or is it leadership.
“We need to get to the root of this.”
“Any amendment to the Constitution must strictly comply with the express requirements of the law.”
Mr Seruiratu said constitutional safeguards were essential to protect democratic principles and prevent arbitrary changes to the country’s supreme law.
